The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-06-05
hrs. b. 1. HgRIWgTHE !
TAXES MR. ASHLEY C. CLOVER
DO IN SEVERAL
Butt0nhoIes, and Administers to
Him Severe and Merite6 Casti-
CATION.

perance Union held a caled meetlng
at the residence of Mrs. Merlwether,
No. BIG Delmar avenue, on Monday
at 3 o'clock pm. A large attendance
was on hand. After the business
which called the meeting together
was transacted, Mrs. Ellis read to
the union Mr.. Ashley @. Clover's
statement to the Glove Democrat OF
Sunday last, in which he boldly and
without qualification asserts that
women are liars" Had the au-
thor OF that ungallant assertion
heard the sarcastic comments which
fell upon him thick and fast his ears
would have tingled and he would
have looked about for an auger hole
to creep into. Mrs. Meriwether was
appointed to indite gentle remon-
STRANGE to the unlucky lawyer who
delares that all women are liars.
The statement complained about
was published in the Globe Demo.
Graf among a number OF chats"
with citizens, aud was as follows:
Ashley G. Glover: The old asser-
ton OF David that all men are liars
is familiar, but some years ago an
English judge paraphrased this ex-
traordinarily in instructiDg a jury in
his court that all women are invari-
ably liars, and their testimony in
important cases should be weighed
most carefully. With all respect for
the fair sex, | must say that this is
true. / have noticed il especially in
cases in the Criminal Court, and |
have never seen there, nor in any
other court, woman give absolutely
unprejudiced testimony. Woman is
a creature of the emotions, and in
that is her chiefest claim, inasmuch
as it makes her natural. But in
pure, cold reason the power of re-
naming neutral between conflicting
facts, opinions and circumstances,
lovely woman is not a success. Her
testimony is colored by love, or ha-
tired, or sympathy, or contempt, or
fear; or else, having no particular
interest in the matter, her tes-
timony is colored by the pas.
sions or emotions Of those by
whom she is surrounded. In any
case the evidence of men, no matter
] how widely different, can be har-
I monized, because of their greater
capacity for neutrality. From APP
parently contradictory statement
one can extract the truth, but a
woman's testimony invariably con-
I tradicts all others, even that Of her
own side, because she sees and hears
things only which sustain her view
of the case. All others she sweeps
aside, if she sees or hears them at all,
as mere Authorizations. Women as
witnesses are no doubt liars, but the
word under the circumstances is
harsh, for her misstatements spring
from Misrepresentation, and her mis-
apprehension of affairs is the result
Of nature worked upon by tbs
| greatest passion, love, OF which all
| others are but manifestations.
THE REPLY.
Mrs. Meriwether prepared the fol-
lowing letter in reply, which was
unanimously adopted, and copy Of
it was forwarded to Mr.. Clover:
| To Mr.. Ashley @. Glover, Prosecuting At
torney of the st. Louis Criminal Court:
SIR-In yesterdays Globe Demo
| crat you see proper under your OWL
name to publicly assert that women
| invariably are liars" You make nc
exceptions; you assert and reassert
| that women are all liars" :.
The West End W. G. I. U. would
like to ask if, when you offered that
sweeping insult to all womanhood
| you forgot that you yourself were
born of woman2 Did you wish tc
brand your mothers forehead with
the shameful word "LiarW Every
good mother teaches her children
| that lying is the lowest vice; that ne
self respecting soul will be guilty @
| the baseness; that no gentleman will
tamely bear the imputation. Is il
possible that you wish the world tt
believe that, neither by example mol
precept, your mother gave you sucf
| instructions2
The word liar" is the most
coarsely offensive in the English
language. A brave man will resen
| il with blows of the fist or the blud
geon. You would not dare fling thii
base word in strong mans face, yet
YOU glibly and jauntily toss it il
woman's. 1t takes coward to offel
insults to women he would be afraiC
to offer any man with muscular arm
and hand to resent.
Are you so ignorant as not to know
that by the memorable laws o
heredity men must inherit theil
mothers mental and moral qualities
| If all women are liars, as you assert
by no possibility can men born o
women, escape the baseness. A
stream cannot rise higher than it
source. AS women are, so are thu
sons they bear. Ii women are fools
towards and liars, so will be men.
| Are you.so ignorant as not to know
that it is often said that men form
their estimate of woman's character
from the character VI the WOMEN U
their own household That if {
mans mother, sisters, wife, aunt
and female relations all happen Il
be weak and frivolous women he get
the idea that such is the nature O
ali the sex; that if it is a mans mis-
fortune to associate only with womer
of low order Of mind and morals h,
comes to believe such is the charac
ter of all women. When you publish
to the world your belief that all wo
men are "invariably liars" you bru
tally BLACKBOARD every woman O.
YOUR acquaintance, especially ever!
woman related to you. If you hav,
mother yet living, your first &C
should be to fall on your knees a
her feet and implore forgiveness fol
the unmanly insult you have pu
unon her. II your mother has gon,
to better world than this, yos
should make haste to cover your heat
with sackcloth and ashes, and 90 Z
her grave and fall or your face il
shame and remorse for the cruel in
snlt Won have offered to her memory